i recently contributed to the great Classic Play e-magazine’s Food Issue, from the design house at EllieBellieKids. it was just released yesterday (it’s free and fabulous, so check it out).  in the issue, i contributed my post on making homemade cookies for my youngest son who has severe food allergies. there are so many great articles and ideas in this issue (and all their previous issues) that it had me thinking of my own food history with my family of four, soon to be five.

i decided to share with you here some of my favorite tools for cooking for baby and child. the obvious first choice for baby’s nutrition is breast milk, which i was successful at with both of my children for their first year. when the time came for adding solids, i was interested in making my own baby food. i love to cook and with my mom’s encouragement i blended up some purees. i did offer my baby some foods from a jar at first (out of convenience), and with a pursed lip and a selective palate, he refused. have you ever compared a jar of baby peas to fresh pureed peas? just visually you will be amazed. vibrant green color and a natural sweetness made my baby open wide for more. so with his cue, i continued on making a variety of homemade preparations.

i used my own blender mostly (which worked just fine) and started with simple recipes like the ones found here. i also picked up a copy of The Baby Bistro Cookbook. at the time i was working outside the home, and would make time on sundays to cook for my baby. i would steam and puree in bulk and transfer to ice cube trays for the freezer. after frozen, i would pop them out into storage and label them with contents and date. these worked well for my nanny or myself to prepare a meal on the spot. i was also able to puree up bits of our dinners (like salmon and lentils or chicken curry and rice) and serve him these meals alongside our own.

when my second son was born with severe food allergies, i was glad that i already knew how to mix up my own baby food. however, in some ways i could not be as creative with meals for him when it was time to try solids.  it was a more than stressful time.  i just focused on making him pure ingredient recipes. four years later, i have had to prepare a separate meal for him every single day made from minimal pure ingredients.

yes…i survived all that cooking! it WAS enjoyable  (the baby food preparation part) and my boys are healthy and GREAT eaters today-thankfully. and i have to add, it is much more affordable!

in a time where our culture has been so saturated with unhealthy food options and instant meals, i think its time to start a new tradition within our home, at our table and for our  family. something fresh, something organic, something real.

my favorites for mealtime:

the joyababy 2-1 reversible bib was designed in more recent times, because i couldn’t find a bib that was soft (not plastic), washable AND actually collected the crumbs and drippings from meals. the joyababy bib does just that- with its scoop shaped crumb catcher on both sides! and it looks super stylish at the dinner table of course. the cotton canvas side works great for dry meals and flip bib pocket inside out, turn bib over for messier meals (quick-drying nylon side).

next, i would choose a compact high chair with thoughtful design like the one pictured above. this is mostly because i live in a vintage house, circa 1904, in the city with limited space. i love traditional baby utensils and dishes, like the ones my mom used when i was young. curved baby spoons, real dishware and flatware. these are great for at use at home. and when you are out with baby, there are a variety of great, eco-friendly travel options.

bon appetit bebe!

baby photo: my own, kitchen photo: from beach bungalow 8

when i say playroom i mean a collection of small vintage spaces where toys, books, knickknacks and kids accumulate. while my boys love legos and playmobil (particularly anything to do with an egypt theme) they do wonder in and settle down with some other classic items. things i have collected for them, along with family members, from around the world. i do love something artistically made, something that even a child can appreciate. the bright colors, the wooden materials,  something educational and something child size.

there is something so touching about walking by the playroom and hearing your children make believe, read aloud to one another, explore their surroundings and story tell. my children are so different from one another. one loves to act and sing songs (loudly), while the other likes logistics, facts and “setting up the scene” to make it as realistic as possible.

then their minds collide. and the playroom becomes alive.

it is magical.

because the other half of the time i walk by, i am breaking up a wrestling match.

what i love…

a set of elephant & camel coin banks made in india i picked up on my last trip.

m. sasek books, so wonderfully illustrated and so many details.. it’s like taking a holiday in a book

vintage iron vehicles i picked up at a flea market

a globe for imaginary world travel and learning

a large puzzle of the map of india that their grandfather hand carried back

a wooden space shuttle that their aunt bought them from the u.k.

paddington bear! he looks like he is soaking in some playroom sunshine

montessori style puzzle about a flower

wooden alphabet cards

a child size guitar gifted by their guitar-playing uncle

their artwork that they hung up just where they wanted

books and more books and an elliebelliekids messenger bag

dk eyewitness books series

storytelling

loud, made up songs

reading

playroom magic